


Seraphim

by Solkatt2410



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angels, Angels vs. Demons, Angst, Bad Parenting, Bird Anatomy, Coming Out, Demons, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Estrangement, Eventual Romance, Flirting, Fluff, God - interpretation, Graphic Descriptions of Anatomy, Guardian Angels, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Imprisonment, Kidnapping, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Nightmares, Past Child Abuse, Pharmaceutical Drug Misuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Prayer, Romance, Self-Harm, Slow Build, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide, Triggers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2018-11-14
Packaged: 2019-07-04 05:17:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15834507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Solkatt2410/pseuds/Solkatt2410
Summary: Inspiration: “You have just died. When you arrive at the Pearly Gates, you are surprised to learn your death was easily avoidable had your guardian angel not been slacking off. You now get to decide his fate.”Sasuke wakes up in Heaven, too early, but maybe it is not so bad, after all.





	1. Peace and Verdict

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is not as dark as it sounds, even though there are some heavy tags. But please, please, do not read this if any of the tags triggers you or makes you uncomfortable.

It was quiet. A still and peaceful silence, pure and warm in a completely unexpected way. Startled, Sasuke opened his eyes, because the last thing he remembered were the screaming brakes of the subway, the hysterical people on the platform, the thundering of his own heart, and the acute pain of hitting his head against the rail that had had darkness closing in so fast.

It was white as light around him and he rested on nothing, but still it was softer than down. Sitting up, he looked around in amazement, studying the white space around him.

"You are surprised," stated a calm voice, vaguely feminine, behind him and Sasuke turned around quickly. 

Wings. Two gigantic wings, faintly green.

"Welcome to Heaven."

"I’m dead," Sasuke murmured softly, a peaceful sense of calm and easy relief filing him, studying his hands and expecting to see a change of some kind but detecting none. He looked back up when the angel shifted uncomfortably, her enormous wings rustling as she fluffed them up in agitation before the feathers settled again.

"About that. Okay, so, everybody is assigned a guardian angel at birth. We weren't expecting you for another forty years, and the downstairs administration called and reported another two, at least," she said, tucking surprisingly pink hair behind her ears with a worried frown.

"I'm not supposed to be dead then," Sasuke stated and she shook her head, shifting to wring her hands or crack her knuckles; it was confusingly hard to tell.

"No. Your angel was not at his post when you fell off the platform. Since we cannot bring you back to life, you are allowed to decide his punishment instead," she explained and Sasuke nodded slightly. "As for what you can demand, outright torture and death are the only things not permitted."

"Anything else is fine?" Sasuke asked, feeling weirdly unaffected and distant, and the angel's expression hardened as she nodded shortly.

"Yes."

"Could I meet him?" he requested, suddenly curious, and the pink-haired angel nodded. He missed the calculating albeit surprised look the angel sent him as he turned around, looking at the white space again as she replied,

"Of course."

Sasuke turned back and watched with curiosity as she drew a symbol in the air and the whiteness melted away to a garden in a lake. It was hundreds of tiny islets connected by arching bridges with flowers both on land and in the water dotting the place with color. Gazebos were strewn out at random, and trees with long hanging branches created shaded pools.

"Go on. He is waiting for you just up ahead," the pink haired angel said, pointing at the islet beyond the bridge immediately in front of them.

"Thank you," Sasuke murmured, taking a step forward, then glancing down at the white robe he wore in surprise as it slid over his bare skin. He had not noticed it before.

He walked across the bridge slowly, not in a hurry to lay down a verdict. He let out a quiet sigh when his guardian came into view because  _ of course _ he had to be beautiful. Tan, caramel skin with sunshine blond hair and enormous wings in reddish orange folded against his back, sapphire blue eyes watching the currents in the water move the lilies around, making them bob gently on the surface. 

He was leaning against the railing of one of the bridges, arms folded on top of the painted wood, and Sasuke walked up beside him, mirroring his position. The angel glanced at him, eyes as blue as the sky, and then his lips quirked up in a sort of smile. Sasuke looked down at the water, studying the fish that swam around beneath the surface and hiding under the floating leaves, feeling at ease. 

An enormous, fire orange wing settled around him softly and pushed him firmly closer, nearly burying him in a soft cushion of feathers that felt just a little warm against his skin. It was softer than anything he had felt and he never wanted it to disappear. 

"Hello. My name is Naruto," the angel stated and Sasuke opened his eyes, surprised that he had closed them. Naruto smiled at him and chuckled, "Could you stand, please, Sasuke? I am strong but not currently that strong."

Startled, Sasuke immediately straightened and took his weight of Naruto's wing, looking up at the angel in bewilderment. 

"I- I didn't mean to, I don't-" Sasuke stumbled and Naruto made a soothing motion with his hand, smile turning affectionate.

"Easy, Sasuke. I am to blame, you are tired and just a touch of my feathers would have put you to sleep. Smothering you in them was a poor choice," Naruto explained and Sasuke blinked.

"Is it because you are - were - my guardian angel?" he asked and Naruto smiled again and nodded. "Hn. Would you explain why I'm dead?"

"Ah." Naruto sighed and looked back up at the sky, gazing right up at the sun that was blazing in the sky, brighter, closer, and greater than Sasuke had ever perceived it before.

"Careful!" Sasuke urged, tugging at his hand before realizing he had grasped it, and Naruto smiled as he quickly let go again.

"You need not be afraid. It will not harm me, and I can see into the next dimension of our world in the sun. It calms me," he explained and Sasuke nodded slightly, sensing there was more to what he was saying than what he immediately heard. Naruto looked back down at him and said, very seriously, "You are here because another angel failed at changing a very difficult fate and I did not want you to be forced through Hell after all that I have seen."

"What? Why would I go to Hell?" Sasuke asked, genuinely surprised as he kept rather strictly to the right side of the law, and Naruto gave him a soft, sad look and sighed.

"Because in two years’ time, you would take a life. As such, you would be punished."

Sasuke stared at him flatly for a heartbeat, shocked, then shook his head in desperate denial. 

"No. You're wrong! I could never kill another person!" he protested and Naruto smiled a little, stunning him into silence. It was like a condensed early summer day with all of its gentle warmth and bright joy.

"I know that. I have been with you since your soul was born, Sasuke. There is only one life I have seen you extinguish, ever."

"Seen me?" Sasuke gasped, a cold and harsh terror ripping through him, his heart beating wildly. Naruto shifted and took his hands in his own warm ones, murmuring softly, 

"Breathe, Sasuke. Breathe. All guardian angels are capable of seeing the future of their charges. I have seen you cause the death of only one person in all my visions."

"But-... oh..." Sasuke breathed, giving Naruto a wide-eyed, wild look. "Me. Not murder. Suicide."

Naruto nodded slightly and Sasuke stared, frowned, then shook himself roughly, rudely snatching his hands back.

"That was what the other angel was on about, the pink haired one, right? Two years from now, I would have taken my own life and gone 'downstairs'. To Hell. Wait, but, she said she, they up here, weren't expecting me for another forty years! What happened,  _ why _ am I here?" Sasuke demanded and Naruto sighed, closing his eyes for a brief moment before answering.

"A deciding event, is what happened."

"A deciding event?" Sasuke frowned and Naruto nodded. 

"Yes. Today, moments before your accidental death, something happened that had your suicide writ in stone. I could not bear to have you go through Hell as well; I would gladly take any punishment instead. Thus, I left my post."

"And I was hit by the subway," Sasuke stated flatly and Naruto nodded again. "Asshole."

"Hm," Naruto hummed, and looked back into the sun.

"You do know I could force you through anything?" Sasuke growled and Naruto gave him a crooked smile.

"I am aware. Would not be the first time and will likely not be the last time," he replied and Sasuke tilted his head to the side in surprised confusion.

"Why would you have so many people die in accidents when you can just do your job and not be punished? Why not just let me go to Hell?" Sasuke asked, bewildered, and Naruto smiled modestly.

"I would rather be punished compared to letting an undeserving soul filled with nothing but crushing sadness go to Hell," he murmured, voice surprisingly humble, and Sasuke shook his head, frowning down at the water.

"You're mad."

"Perhaps."

"How many times have humans punished you for letting them die in accidents?" Sasuke asked and Naruto chuckled a little, the sound dry and curiously apologetic.

"Roughly 85'000 times throughout the ages," he answered and Sasuke stared, mouth agape. 

"You're definitely insane! How old are you even?!" he demanded and Naruto shrugged, a small aborted movement.

"To you, I am infinite. I was born when I was meant to be born and I will die when I am meant to die," Naruto murmured, sounding content, and Sasuke growled wordlessly. "Fine. I am definitely older than the world. Happy?"

"No," Sasuke replied bluntly and Naruto smiled yet again, which was infuriating. "Going by my own beliefs, which are now pretty much weird, you'd be over 4.5 billion years old."

"Sounds about right," Naruto murmured and Sasuke blinked, taken aback. 

"Are all angels like you?"

"Like me what?" Naruto frowned, looking at him, and Sasuke frowned. 

"Weird. Old."

"Depends on who you are asking or talking to," Naruto replied with an indulgent smile and Sasuke groaned. 

"Who are you?" he asked, petulant and sulking, and Naruto smiled a little again, soft and warm, turning his face back into the sun. 

"An old, weird angel."

Sasuke sighed.

"What would you punish me with?" the blond angel asked softly, completely acceptant of his fate, and Sasuke glared at him.

"You're an imbecile. I think I would have you stick to my side so that I can hammer some sense into you."

Naruto laughed, deep and rich like bells of bronze, and Sasuke marveled at the sound.

"Are you certain?" Naruto smiled and Sasuke grumbled a bit.

"I suppose. Yes. Your punishment will be to stay by my side," Sasuke said, his anxiety settling into calm for the first time in years as warmth poured into a void he had not been consciously aware of. The warmth filled him up as he watched golden threads twine and weave between him and Naruto, who looked immensely surprised, binding them together with an irrefutable link. 

"I do not understand," Naruto said, looking straight up, and Sasuke frowned and opened his mouth when a humming sound filled the air, soft and clear and soothing, water and birdsong and sunlight and life and currents of peace and never ending rest, yet too intense and filled with immeasurable power. Guilty to be there and shy and ashamed and afraid, Sasuke sank to his knees and buried his face in his arms, clutching at Naruto’s white robe, crying. A huge wing settled around him, like a protective embrace, shielding him. "Am I to be punished for time eternal?"

There was a voice, sounding as sweet as bells, completely androgynous and immensely strong, but no one was speaking, and Sasuke moaned in pain, shaking as he crushed his face into Naruto's thigh. The angel seemed to understand perfectly, however.

"A privilege it might become, but we are bound for time everlasting, nonetheless," Naruto stated and wordless agreement filled the air, and the blond sighed then bowed deeply. "I do not claim to understand but You have all my faith. Where will he be able to go?"

A sense of  _ all _ and  _ life _ seemed to ring through the air, a pronounced quality of finality in it, and Naruto bowed again, remaining silent. The humming disappeared, as abruptly as it had come, and Naruto knelt down on the ground the second it was fully gone, putting his arms around Sasuke and gently pulling him into an embrace, wings folding around him as well.

"Do not worry, you are meant to be here. It is intense to meet someone so powerful for the first time."

"W-what was that?" Sasuke hiccupped, shaking as he clung to the angel.

"Mother, Father, all that is and was and will be," Naruto replied softly and Sasuke shuddered as he drew a deep breath.

"Father?" he questioned and Naruto smiled fondly, his eyes dancing with amusement.

"Lord of all creation?"

Sasuke stared at him for a long moment, then breathed a quiet little 'oh' as he accepted the revelation. Naruto shifted around and carefully got his arms under Sasuke’s exhausted body and lifted him up as he rose. Sasuke did not have the energy to protest and simply leaned his head against Naruto’s shoulder, sighing as warm, orange feathers settled over him like a blanket. He was asleep within seconds.

Naruto carried Sasuke through the garden until he reached the pavilion like home he had made himself there, protected by an ancient willow’s long branches. The tree rustled as it parted its branches for him and he carried Sasuke inside, the willow closing behind him again. 

The space he had entered was not much more than a round tiled floor with a cupola arching above his head, supported by marble columns. Between two of the pillars, a wooden door swung open and Naruto stepped through, glancing around his simple little home. It held a chair and a table, a small kitchenette against one of the walls, a couch, a bookshelf, and a large bed, the only luxury he afforded himself. He could live just about however he wanted, but as he did not in fact require much of anything in terms of sustenance or sleep, he preferred a simple home. He enjoyed sleeping and dreaming when he had time to himself and thus had a bed he could sprawl over easily.

He laid Sasuke down carefully on the bed and sat down beside him, covering him from chin to feet with one of his huge wings. Sasuke murmured a few nonsensical words in his sleep and shifted around a little before he settled down. Naruto smiled softly when one hand buried in his feathers, holding on, and patiently waited for his charge to wake up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhh, yeah, I have no idea how this is going to end..


	2. Wings and Pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasuke wakes up and learns a bit, about his own history and angel anatomy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warnings!** This chapter contains a kind of distanced description of kidnapping and child abuse so proceed with a bit of caution. It also contains detailed descriptions of anatomy.

Sasuke woke up to birdsong and a warmth sunk into his bones that left him feeling at ease and content, which was so unlike what he normally felt like when he woke that he sat straight up, heart hammering in his chest. He felt no fear but adrenaline coursed through him nonetheless, making his heart race and his muscles tense in preparation, breath coming in pants. He blinked in surprise at the rough wooden wall that met him, and realized that he was indeed not home. He looked down at himself and his chin dropped as he gaped down at the fire-orange feathers that covered his legs, now completely mystified. He followed the feathers that merged into a great wing and closed his mouth to swallow hard when he met blue eyes.

"I'm really dead?" he asked hoarsely, voice breaking somewhere in the middle of the last word, and blue eyes softened.

"Yes," Naruto replied gently, and Sasuke swallowed the lump in his throat with some difficulty.

"Okay," he breathed and shifted his hands through the feathers of Naruto's wing, stroking the soft edges and tracing the shaft with his fingertips.

"They are called rachis in English," Naruto murmured after a while and Sasuke glanced up at him. Naruto smiled a little at him and Sasuke gasped when he shifted and splayed the end of his wing over his lap, where the largest feathers were. "Let me show you. Wing feathers that are not down are called remiges, in singular remex, and the largest and thinnest ones are called primaries."

Naruto gestured to the thin, long feathers at the first bottom half of his wing and Sasuke yelped when they moved and splayed in different directions. Naruto grinned childishly at him and said,

"Oh, and they can be rotated individually."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted, rolling his eyes, and Naruto smiled and continued talking.

"These ones are called pinions," the blond gestured at the ones at the tip of the wing then pointed at the black line running through each feather. "Like I said, the shaft is called rachis, except closest to the flesh, where it turns into the calamus or quill. Barbules are attached to the rachis, they look like mini feathers, and the overlapping parts are barbed barbicels that hold the feathers together. If they did not, it would be impossible to fly. I would look like an ostrich."

Sasuke snorted and smirked at the image that created in his head and Naruto grinned at him again.

"The flat expanse is called vane, and the downy part afterfeathers. Closer to my body are secondaries, tertiaries and quaternaries. The next layers are called coverts as are the puffy ones here, over the bones. These ones are called alulae; they function like the flaps on an airplane." Naruto shifted and pointed at the tiny feathers at the top of the wing then turned away slightly, looking back over his shoulder as he asked, "Mind if I remove the robe?"

Sasuke shook his head and Naruto undid some ties at the back of his neck that had the white cloth pooling at his waist. Sasuke's eyebrows furrowed in surprise and fascination at the sight of the knobby, thick bones covering the spine, slightly below the shoulder blades. He was startled to see what looked like miniature versions of Naruto’s large wings, about the size of his underarm and hand, covered in pale orange spines. Small down feathers covered the wings' socket, forming a pale orange mound, and he had to stop himself from reaching out to touch. The tiny feathers soon disappeared, becoming a sparse scatter over Naruto's lower back and shoulders. Sasuke thought they spread over his ribs a bit as well, and did a double take when his brain wondered why there were so many ribs, several pairs more than any human had. The angel had very well defined muscle, curving around his rib cage and over his shoulders, but Sasuke still wondered if it would be enough to allow him to fly.

"Not what you expected?" Naruto asked quietly and Sasuke shook his head.

"No. I thought they would be anchored with much thinner bones," he replied and the blond nodded.

"They would never bear my weight that way. My body is not structured like a human’s; we just look very much alike. Most of my bones are hollow, and my lungs are very different from yours too, but I still weigh a lot more than a bird my size would," he explained and Sasuke nodded slightly. 

"Hn. That explains how you can breathe. Normal lungs wouldn't cope with the rush of air and the exertion," he murmured and Naruto smiled at him over his shoulder. Sasuke had to look away after a moment; it had been so achingly sweet and fond. "How come you have tiny wings as well?"

"Hm? Ah. That is because I'm currently missing two pairs. They should grow back within two months or so," Naruto said and Sasuke gaped at him again.

"You have  _ six _ wings?"

"Yes. If you are careful, you can touch. The sockets fill with new bone that grow out relatively slowly, then the new skin is covered in feathers still in their chitin sheaths," Naruto said and Sasuke reached out to carefully trace his fingertips over the bony mound with the sockets, completely camouflaged by the downy feathers, but did not dare touch the newly formed feathers.

"How did you lose them in the first place?" he asked and Naruto waited until he had pulled his hand back before he answered.

"They were torn off," he replied and Sasuke winced and his stomach churned as his brain conjured the bloodbath that must have been. Orange feathers enveloped him before he could be sick and his body settled back down, leaving him feeling clammy and trembling. Naruto looked at him with worry and Sasuke's hand shook as he covered his eyes briefly, rubbing his fingertips over his brow.

"How are you even alive?" he breathed and Naruto frowned a little with confusion. He chose to leave the fact that he almost  _ did _ die out to spare Sasuke more horror.

"I was not supposed to die yet," he answered and Sasuke sighed, shaking his head in exasperation.

"When did it happen?" he asked and Naruto gave him an apologetic look.

"I think you should have been about eleven years old. I was allowed back on duty two years later," he murmured and Sasuke drew a sharp breath and braced himself for the sharp terror of the memories he harbored from those years. 

He slumped in confusion when they surfaced but without all the pain he associated with them and looked to Naruto for clarification, bewildered. The blond smiled at him, soft and fond, and Sasuke's heart clenched.

"You are in Heaven, dear. Many, many years must pass before you will feel pain, fear, or sorrow caused by your past again. You need not be afraid of what has happened anymore," Naruto explained and Sasuke blinked, taken aback.

"Really?" he asked and Naruto gave him another affectionate smile as he tied his robe again. 

"Really."

"Hn." Sasuke spent a few minutes digesting what he had just learned, shifting through his memories and marveling at the change. It was like looking at black and white tape, distant and muted, yet he could recognize every part with ease.

The powerful squeeze of hard hands on his arms and then his neck was not frightening, the bruises not painful and the abject terror not present. The darkness was not oppressive, the filthy cellar not creeping in and the foul food did not turn his stomach. It was all there, all that had caused the terror to the pain, but none of it felt as if it could drown him anymore.

Sasuke did not realize he was crying until Naruto's wings wrapped around him again and pulled him in close, warm hands brushing over his cheeks and his hair. The blond whispered quiet, sincere apologies into his hair and Sasuke sunk into his embrace, hiccuping. He nearly knocked their heads together when he jerked upright a couple of minutes later, a thought hitting him like a blow. He stared at Naruto with wide eyes, unable to speak, finally managing a squeaky, 

" _ Why _ ?"

"It was very much not intentional. I was unconscious for a long while. When I woke up, I tried to help you as much as I could but a lot of my power was used up already. I did manage to steer the people looking for you right and I did manage to interrupt every time either of them wanted to go after you." Naruto's blue eyes were burning with anger and Sasuke shuddered involuntary at the power behind them, not doubting Naruto's words. Then the implications of what the blond had just said sunk in and he burrowed closer to the angel that radiated warmth and safety. 

"Did they really...?" he breathed and Naruto nodded against his hair, holding him close.

"Those men were possessed by a particularly nasty group of demons. They invited them in with cruelty and mad pleasures, and they grew strong with them," he explained and Sasuke curled together under Naruto's wings. "Do you remember the man that sent the group after you?"

"Hn." Sasuke nodded sharply, the memory of the snake-like man that had looked at him as if he wanted to live in his skin vivid. "He gave the other people orders, but didn’t want to sell me like the rest. Disappeared somewhere in the late-middle."

"I was sent after the demon inside his soul. Had I not been hunting him, I could have protected you but then someone else would have fallen prey to him. Do you understand?" Naruto murmured against his temple and Sasuke shivered, chills running down his spine.

"You could keep me mostly unharmed and still pursue him," he whispered and Naruto nodded.

"Yes. I am so very sorry I could not keep you entirely safe. I lost four of my wings but at least I could tear him out of the soul of the human and banish him back to Hell. The human he had possessed followed him straight down, which is why he disappeared. Think he was shot over some money related thing while bargaining for you. With him gone, I could actively get help to you when I woke up."

"Will he come back?" Sasuke breathed and Naruto shifted uncomfortably but answered truthfully albeit hesitantly,

"Yes. It will take him a millennium at the least to reform, then I will have to hunt him down again."

"Why you?" Sasuke asked and Naruto sighed. 

"Because he was family once."


	3. Time and Belief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Staying in Heaven is.. different. And Sasuke isn't sure why he's there.

Sasuke enjoyed Naruto's beautiful garden immensely and spent hours walking through it, following the winding paths. Naruto had showed him how to get back to his little house and then had left Sasuke to roam as he wished, busying himself in the small vegetable garden on an island right next to his home. Sasuke had asked if he could swim in the water and Naruto had smiled and nodded, watching for a moment as Sasuke drenched himself in the pleasantly cool water.

Sasuke found an islet covered in fragrant flowers that overlooked Naruto's home and sat down at the edge of the water, dipping his feet in as he leaned his chin in his hand. His eyes snapped to Naruto when the angel emerged from the willow's branches, steering another angel out while talking to them heatedly. Their wings were dove-gray and they had waist-long, dark hair, and a slender body. Sasuke had difficulties deciding on a correct pronoun and resolved to ask the angel directly if they met. Naruto suddenly looked up and waved at him, making Sasuke sigh and reluctantly lift a hand in reply. The other angel turned to look at him for a moment then said something to Naruto who just nodded. Sasuke leaned his head back to study the sky, marveling at the shimmering blue that faded into pinpricks of stars. He let his arms give out and flopped down on the grass, a burst of sweetness filling the air from the flowers.

Sasuke startled awake when a warm hand brushed over his brow and opened his eyes to come face to face with Naruto who smiled down at him. The sky had darkened to a deep royal blue, multicolored stars blinking down at him in bright rivers, only the faintest hint of pink and forget-me-not-blue left of the sunset.

"Do you want to sleep out here? Otherwise it is time to come inside," Naruto murmured softly and leaned back when Sasuke sat up, eyes still fixed on the sky.

"No, I'll come inside," he replied, stifling a yawn, and Naruto nodded and rose. "It's beautiful."

Naruto chuckled quietly, glancing up at the sky with a smile, and Sasuke looked over at him and promptly lost his breath. The blond was glowing, emitting a faint pale golden light, his white robes almost luminescent in the dark. He was absolutely stunning but Sasuke had noticed his wings first. The feathers were sparkling softly, like crystals, and the light danced like the flicker of flames and for half-a-second, Sasuke thought the fire was real.

"One of the nights I will take you to the other garden, the one that blooms in the dark. I think you will love it." Naruto smiled and Sasuke nodded, climbing to his feet. "Did you enjoy your day?"

"Hn. It was very... peaceful," Sasuke murmured and fell into step with the angel as Naruto started walking back to the house.

"You seem relaxed," Naruto observed and Sasuke looked up at him briefly.

"I am. I was just wondering how much time has passed. It feels like it flows differently here somehow," he murmured and Naruto hummed quietly.

"It does. Move slower, that is. About three days’ time pass in the mortal world for every day here," he explained and Sasuke frowned slightly.

"How long have I been here then? I remember the day I came here first, then yesterday and today. It feels like I've been here longer though," he reasoned and Naruto gave him an affectionate smile.

"You have been here for about ten days now, in our time." he said and Sasuke stopped short in shock.

"I've been dead for a _month_?!" he exclaimed and Naruto turned to him with a confused frown.

"Yes? It took you four days to travel here, unusually long but easily explained as you were undetermined. You met me the fifth, and slept for three days after you decided on my sentence and Father affirmed it. You woke up yesterday, on the ninth day, and stormed off after we talked in the morning. Then there was today, the tenth day," Naruto explained and Sasuke blinked, taken aback.

"Funeral?" he asked quietly and Naruto hummed.

"Six days ago, in our time, while you were unconscious. If you want to, I can set up a memory charm and you can see for yourself," he replied and Sasuke slowly shook his head.

"No. I... just... was it-... was it nice?" he asked hesitantly, cringing at his own stammer, and Naruto smiled at him again.

"Yes. It was very nice. Modest and appropriate. I think you would have been satisfied with it all."

"I assume it was closed? My body..." Sasuke stopped again, it was just plain weird to be talking about himself in such an atypical, impersonal way.

"Yes. Family only in attendance," Naruto murmured and Sasuke drew a breath and braced himself before he asked,

"Did my brother attend?"

"No," Naruto replied softly and Sasuke shifted uncomfortably as the feelings he expected failed to manifest.

"I see," he murmured and Naruto gave him a small smile and shook his head.

"I do not think you do. I will show you tomorrow, you need to rest. This has been difficult enough," he said and resumed walking. Sasuke followed him in silence and let the angel put him to bed, stripped of the robe in just a pair of underwear, without any protest, preoccupied. Naruto was blowing out the lit candles when Sasuke whispered,

"I don't understand why I'm here."

Naruto paused and turned back to him, looking thoughtful.

"Elaborate, and I will try to explain."

"I'm not a Christian. I don't believe," Sasuke stated and Naruto smiled.

"Do you not?" he asked softly and Sasuke remember a voice like life and power greater than any and swallowed hard.

"Hn. But I didn't. Not before," he retorted and Naruto sat down on the bed.

"Are you certain?"

"Yes! I'm baptized and confirmed, but that was very much my parents will!" Sasuke protested and Naruto nodded slightly.

"I know."

"Then why am I here?" Sasuke asked, just a little hysterical, and Naruto hummed quietly.

"Do you remember how your classmates reacted in biology class?" he prompted and Sasuke frowned, hands clasped in his lap.

"When our teacher asked if anyone believed while explaining evolution? About five years ago?" he clarified and Naruto nodded.

"Do you remember how you argued?"

"Of _course_ I... do," Sasuke trailed off in a murmur and Naruto smiled.

" _Creation may not have happened this time around._ Then, when you in defiance told them you were gay?" he continued and Sasuke looked up at him, eyes wide.

"To me, God is love. The Lord is my brother, family when I have none."

"There you go," Naruto smiled affectionately and rose and blew out the last candle. He settled down on the bed a moment later, on his stomach with his wings spread out, on top of the covers whereas Sasuke was curled up under them.

"To me, God is love," Sasuke whispered, burrowing down further, and missing Naruto's gentle smile in the darkness as a warm and heavy wing settled over him. He closed his eyes, entirely stunned at the revelation and the realization that he had indeed believed, that all the prayers he had said had at some point transitioned from a laborious chore to a voluntary part of his life. Sasuke sighed and breathed, "God is love. Okay."

Naruto could feel his Maker’s fond amusement, sensing approval, and whispered, voice nearly trembling because here was a soul, a human soul, repeating his words back at him,

_“God is love.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Naruto, sweetheart... (/^3(o o@)/


	4. Fruit and Snow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But **why** was he there? Why had the angel walked away?

Sasuke looked up from where he was seated on a rock that let him keep his feet in the water when Naruto stopped beside him, shadowing him from the sun.

"Here. I think you will like them," Naruto smiled as he held out a wicker basket filled with lilac-colored, hairy fruits with hard shells. Sasuke took the basket, examining the fruits curiously, and Naruto sat down on a rock beside him.

"What are they?" he asked and Naruto picked one from the basket and twisted the shell as if he was opening a jar. It cracked neatly along the middle and Naruto lifted the top-half off to reveal a fleshy ball in a pale pink with a black core visible through the fruit.

"I think the closest thing would be if you crossed a lychee fruit with a grape and enlarged it. The tree is called _Candidius lunare_ , roughly 'radiant moon' or 'snowy moon'," Naruto answered and Sasuke twisted a fruit open and picked up the squishy ball and took a small bite of it. The description had been apt, it tasted like a lychee with the consistency of a grape. Sasuke took an instant liking to it.

"It's nice," he murmured and Naruto smiled, eating his own and then tossing the core into the water. Sasuke followed his example

"Good to hear. Although, I believe you might enjoy these even more," Naruto then said and Sasuke looked up in surprise to find the blond offering him another wicker basket, but this one filled to the brim with tomatoes in every size from tiny tom berries and small cherry and plum ones to huge beefsteak tomatoes that were larger than his whole hand. They were neatly packed in compartments fitted inside the basket and Sasuke felt a strange sense of shy embarrassment overcome him and blushed accordingly. Naruto just smiled and switched the baskets, putting the first one in his own lap and opening another moon fruit. Sasuke tentatively picked up a regular globe tomato, clearly just picked and still warm from the sun, and bit into it. His eyes closed as he moaned quietly in appreciation at the taste of it, looking back at Naruto with a serious expression as he stated,

"I'll live on these from now on, all right?"

Naruto chuckled and nodded.

"I do not mind. They grow over on the vegetable island, just follow the path to the left," he said and Sasuke hummed, already trying the plum ones.

They ate their respective fruits and berries in amiable, comfortable silence for a while then Sasuke murmured,

"You said I didn't know why Itachi wasn't attending my funeral."

"I said I did not think you did. What do you think?" Naruto replied easily and Sasuke sighed.

"I think he was 'too busy' again. That, or our parents would not let him attend, which seems unlike them."

"You reason with your mind. What if you reason with your heart?" Naruto suggested and Sasuke gave him an irritated look, then sighed and closed his eyes.

"I wanted him there, which you know. Did something happen that stopped him from coming?" he asked and Naruto hummed.

"Yes."

"Is he okay?" Sasuke asked immediately, voice and gaze both laced with acute worry. The blond smiled wryly and said,

"I think he will be, eventually."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke frowned and Naruto nodded at the water and asked,

"Are you sure you want to know? Your accident was just a part of an event that snowballed."

Sasuke looked down at the tomatoes as he pondered the question for a while, contemplating whether he wanted to know what had caused Naruto to leave his post. Then he looked back up at the blond and nodded firmly.

"Yes. I want to know."

"As you wish. Come with me." Naruto rose and Sasuke followed him to an islet that he had not noticed on his strolls. It was odd, as the islet had a stone paved center with a wide basin at the middle. Naruto drew a symbol in the air, golden-red light trailing in the wake of his hand as he made broad strokes and sharp lines. Looking over his shoulder at Sasuke, he asked again, "Are you certain?"

Sasuke drew a deep breath and stepped closer, nodding.

"Yes."

Naruto finished the symbol in the air and motioned at the perfectly flat surface of the water in the basin.

"Then look."

Sasuke leaned forward and watched as a scene started to emerge, the swirl demanding his attention.

It started in a hospital room. His brother was seated on the examination table, hair falling into his face as he nodded along to what the doctor was saying, gaze on the floor and hands folded in his lap. He was wearing a hospital shirt, his arms bandaged from his fingers all the way to his elbows.

The scene switched to a little girl getting ready to leave home in the early morning, a woman in a strict suit smiling at her as they walked out to the car. The inside of a laboratory came next. A blond, feminine man with long bangs and the rest of his hair in a ponytail that Sasuke vaguely recognized was seated at a fume hood, fully focused on what he was doing. The little girl suddenly appeared at his elbow and the blond half-smiled down at his work, lips moving as he answered the little girl's questions.

The view cut back to his brother, and Sasuke watched him walk slowly along the street, a too big coat slung over his shoulders as he huddled against the wind. Sasuke recognized the weariness and the defeat in his body as a bad episode of his illness.

Then they were back in the lab, where the little girl's mother poked her head in and smiled at them before asking something and leaving again. The blond man rose from his seat, walking over to a table covered in notes, looking bewildered and scratching his head as he studied the spread sheets. The little girl shouted out as she tripped and the blond looked up, and Sasuke watched panic and fear wash over him. He ran towards the girl, shouting frantically, for the few seconds it took the gas pipe she had caught her weight on as she fell to fill the room and ignite from the lit burner in the fume hood. The room literally exploded.

The next scene he saw was the armada of firefighters, the police and the ambulances as they crowded the building, taking care of the survivors from the explosion. The house was still on fire, but the explosion had been singular as the pipe had been connected to a local, pressurized canister. The mother of the child was hysterical in the arms of a police officer and an ambulance nurse, both men holding her back from rushing inside the building.

"How many?" Sasuke whispered and Naruto sighed.

"Nine, including the blond man and the little girl."

"They're all here?" Sasuke asked and Naruto smiled wryly.

"All except one."

"Who?" Sasuke asked and Naruto nodded at the water again.

"Watch."

Sasuke looked back down and was sucked into the swirling midst of past time once more.

The police were leading family members that were starting to arrive off to the sides, among them an elderly man with gray hair and a walking cane, into a hastily erected tent with grief counselors, police, and nurses present. They were quickly identifying who had gotten out and who was missing, sending the information on to the fire fighters and family to the hospital they were taking wounded to.

Then the scene suddenly jumped back to Itachi, who was sitting on a bench overlooking an empty park. His phone rang and Sasuke watched with trepidation as he answered and then replied yes once before he went deathly pale and the phone went clattering across the pavement as he buried his face in his hands, his whole body shaking as he curled together. The scene jumped to a bedroom Sasuke did not recognize, but his brother was in the middle of the bed, curled around a pillow and buried under a pile of clothes and covers. He appeared to be sleeping. An empty flask of whiskey laid on the bed and it took Sasuke a few tries to understand the name of the bottle next to it. It read _Codeine_.

The timeline jumped again and showed the moment the police broke down the door, and then how one of them made a call while the other checked for Itachi's pulse before shaking his head. Then the scenes flashed faster through a call to Sasuke's mother, to the subway station where a familiar elderly man with gray hair clutched at his heart and stumbled hard against Sasuke who lost his footing and hit his head on the rail as he landed. A train already coming in to the station with no hope of breaking in time, and a second call to the Uchiha residence, and so the family had two funerals to plan.

Sasuke stumbled backwards, away from the memories of time, and collided with Naruto a few steps back. The angel gave him a sad look and said,

"Grieve. It is necessary."

Warm wings closed around him, gentle hands pulling him in, and a dam of hurt broke within him. Sasuke cried until he fell asleep, slumped against an angel on a stone court in Heaven.

* * *

He came to in the bed he shared with the blond, warm and calm underneath a mountain of burning orange feathers.

"Naruto," Sasuke breathed into the darkness and the angel hummed in response. "The blond. It was Deidara, was it not? Itachi loved him."

"Yes. He loved your brother too. That is why he sits on the threshold of the Pearly Gates and waits for his soul," Naruto murmured and Sasuke sighed shakily.

"He's in Hell. He overdosed."

"Yes. Both Deidara and he had problems with pain, as you should know."

"I remember," Sasuke replied and Naruto hummed again.

"Opioids do not mix well with alcohol. Though, he was unconscious long before his breathing stopped. You could say he passed in his sleep."

“We were buried at the same time, weren’t we?” he asked the softly glowing darkness, shifting until he was practically smothered in orange feathers.

“Yes. Your mother could not bear to have it dragged out. She and your father might have been harsh but they did love you both.”

“Will they come here when they pass away?”

“That will depend on what they do from here on.”

Sasuke was quiet for a while, contemplating what he had been told, then he murmured,

"Thank you for telling me the truth."

"Sleep well, Sasuke," Naruto replied softly and Sasuke sighed, realizing that the conversation was finished for the time being, and whispered back,

"Sleep well, Naruto."


	5. Soul Cycling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What about souls and angels and so on?

Sasuke watched from a distance as the pink-haired angel that had greeted him yelled at Naruto, her hands cutting through the air in sharp underline of what she was saying. He could not hear them, she had done something about the noise by grabbing a handful of air and twisting it, but he could read the two angels' body languages clear enough. Naruto was defensive but passive, warily letting the other angel yell at him while he dodged her moving hands. The woman was furious, her body poised aggressively, wings flared, and she kept motioning upwards to the sky, growing increasingly more frustrated as Naruto kept shaking his head. Finally, she threw a punch at the blond who dodged it easily before spreading her wings and jumping into the air with a powerful down stroke. She vanished within seconds, wings beating the air as she flew away.  
  
Sasuke straightened from leaning his elbows on the railing of one of the bridges and started walking back towards the island Naruto’s house was on. The blond had ducked behind the willow’s branches after the pink-haired angel left, disappearing. Sasuke took his time, unsure any extended offer of talking would be welcome, but eventually he reached the island. As he stepped closer, the willow parted its branches, something it had never done before for him and something he had not realized it could do by itself. Startled, Sasuke looked at the tree for a while, then gave it a nod of thanks and a small bow. The rustling of the leaves sounded oddly pleased as he stepped through and the branches fell shut behind him.  
  
Naruto was standing just inside the pillars, arms crossed over his chest and staring down at the smooth stone under their feet. Sasuke stopped a step or two away and asked,  
  
“How many angels are there?”  
  
Naruto looked up at him, clearly surprised, then frowned thoughtfully and said,  
  
“7’401’938’265. I think.”  
  
Sasuke’s jaw slackened in surprise at the precise number and it took him a moment or two to digest the information.  
  
“And… devils? Demons?”  
  
“Demons. The same.” Naruto replied with a hint of a smile, arms moving to his sides as he angled his body towards Sasuke, welcoming the conversation.  
  
“Perfect balance?”  
  
“Yes. A good entity and an evil entity competing about a neutral entity.” Naruto elaborated and Sasuke hummed.  
  
“Neutral entities would be humans?”  
  
“Yes. Born to learn, neither inherently good nor bad.”  
  
“How does that work? I mean, going by Christian beliefs, I would not be in Heaven. I’m not entirely sure I would be in Hell, either, after what you told me.” Sasuke frowned slightly and Naruto chuckled.  
  
“We should go sit down, this will take a while,” he suggested and Sasuke nodded.  
  
“Where do you want to go?” he asked and Naruto gave him a slightly surprised look then smiled and wrapped a wing around him. He took one long stride forward, forcing Sasuke to shuffle along, and then let him go. Sasuke was surprised to find himself in a groove of flowering cherry blossom trees, the ground covered in petals and water glimmering between the trunks, and looked at Naruto in askance. “Did you just teleport us?”  
  
“Not quite. I simply moved the island closer. It is my own space after all, I can control it as I wish,” Naruto replied and Sasuke shook his head with an exasperated sigh. Naruto grinned and motioned at the wooden bench in the groove, inviting him to sit down. Once they were seated, petals started to land on them as well. “To answer your question, first let me just ask you why you thought of this?”  
  
“Well, I can’t understand why this place exists. I mean, the world is full of different religions, somehow it feels weird that only one would be ‘correct’. I mean, why are there so many angels anyway? There are more angels than people in the world, and you can’t need that many for organization.”  
  
“When you arrived, you entered Heaven because it is what you believed would happen. Had you been Buddhist, you would have either reentered the soul cycle or gone on to Nirvana. What you see and what happens when you die depend on what you believe and what you have done in your life. If you have done good, you will end up in your version of Heaven, and if you have done bad, your version of Hell. Then there are souls not interested in either Heaven or Hell that go straight back into the soul cycle.”  
  
“Hold on for a second. What’s the soul cycle?” Sasuke asked and Naruto pointed at the air, causing a glowing dot of light to appear.  
  
“A soul is born. It will live a life as a human then die. After it dies it will, in your case, either go into Heaven or Hell and spend time there.” Naruto drew a half-circle and then split it into two loops. “Once the soul is satisfied with its time in Heaven, it will either reenter the soul cycle as a newborn human, or it will transform into an angel.” He connected the loop to the first circle and then pointed at the other loop. “A soul in Hell will serve its punishment, then it will either enter Heaven or it will go back into the soul cycle directly, which is the typical case.” Naruto connected the two loops to each other and the second loop to the first circle then continued to explain, “The atypical case is a soul that has committed suicide but done much good in life and will be permitted to enter Heaven. Then there are cases like your brother, where he has done no bad but neither much good. His soul, however, sustained injuries it will carry on to its next life. If the soul is not allowed to rest, it will eventually fragment and disintegrate.”  
  
“What happens to a soul that disintegrates?” Sasuke asked quietly and Naruto motioned towards the sky above them.  
  
“It goes back as pure energy and matter to Father, but all the soul has done as a conscious soul will be wasted which is a tragedy at best. A new soul will be created as necessary.”  
  
“What do you mean by that?” Sasuke asked curiously and Naruto motioned at the faintly glowing diagram before them.  
  
“A new soul is only born when the number of currently living exceed the number of souls ready to enter the cycle again,” he replied and Sasuke shook his head, gesturing a denial, as he said,  
  
“No, that I understood, it makes perfect sense that there is a finite amount of souls as there is finite amounts of mass and energy in the universe. What I did not understand was what you meant with what the soul has done as a conscious soul.”  
  
“Ah. A soul strives toward constitutive consciousness. While transitioning between humans, it is conscious of what it may become. That is also a reason as to why we fight so hard over neutral humans; a soul is uncaring in general of whether it will become a demonic or angelic entity. A soul is not a single human; it is all humans it ever was.” Naruto hesitated then said, “I am simplifying drastically, I hope you realize that. I cannot explain this properly in words, it must be experienced.”  
  
“When was my soul born?” Sasuke asked and Naruto hummed.  
  
“56 years ago.”  
  
“That’s a short life.” Sasuke murmured and Naruto sighed.  
  
“It was not one life, dear, it was six separate. 56 years in my time. That is why I was assigned your soul, in addition to the fact that the event that have you here was foreseen,” he replied quietly and Sasuke stared at him.  
  
“Six? How- why?” he stammered and Naruto closed his eyes and tilted his head up into the sun.  
  
“Your soul was born as a child that died at merely three months old of whooping cough. The next time the soul entered the cycle, it died in tuberculosis at age two. The third time it was smallpox, at age six. The fourth time it was as a soldier in the First World War. The fifth time it was during the second war, as a civilian. The sixth was a drowning accident while fleeing a land at war, at age fifteen. Then there was you,” he stated and Sasuke frowned.  
  
“Is all of that soul here right now?”  
  
“Yes. The children had no time to experience life and merely rested here for about a week to a few months before they wanted to go out into the world again. You are the soul that have lived the longest,” Naruto smiled a little at him and Sasuke shook his head a little, shuddering. He had died at twenty-two.  
  
“Are angels always assigned to only one soul?” he asked after a moment of silence, and Naruto shook his head.  
  
“No, typically an angel is assigned one human life, then either shifted to another life or rotated off duty for a few months. Being assigned a specific soul is something seen partly as punishment and partly as an honor,” the angel explained and Sasuke gave him a surprised look.  
  
“An honor?”  
  
“It is a testament of strength,” Naruto replied then suddenly sighed and slumped a little. “You want to know why Sakura is so angry with me.”  
  
“Sakura is the pink-haired angel?” Sasuke asked carefully and Naruto nodded.  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“I would like to know, but I would like you to tell me out of your own volition,” Sasuke murmured and Naruto smiled a little wryly.  
  
“I did bring it up, did I not?” he questioned and Sasuke grunted.  
  
“Hn.”  
  
Laughing, Naruto straightened from his slump and turned to face Sasuke more readily.  
  
“I think I do not mind telling you after all,” he smiled and Sasuke held his gaze, curious. “She is angry, well, they all are more or less, that I let you make such a choice and then did not object when Father bound us together.”  
  
“Bound us together?” Sasuke echoed, startled, and Naruto chuckled.  
  
“Yes. You did not specify a time I would stay by your side and that binds us together until time ends and the universe die, possibly beyond that. I will always watch over your soul, and you will always be reborn, if you choose to be, to be a person very much alike who you were.”  
  
“Sad, tired and alone?” Sasuke asked dryly and Naruto shook his head.  
  
“Not necessarily. Your conscious will stay with you throughout your life. If you are named differently, you will answer to that name, but you will have all the memories from the life you just left,” he replied and Sasuke scowled.  
  
“Wouldn’t that drive me insane? What could I possibly do to not end up depressed and alone if I have all the memories from my previous life?” he demanded and the blond gave him a look Sasuke could only interpret as hurt which stopped him short.  
  
“I would hope that the life you have here, with me, will help you through other lives and be of use when helping other people in difficult situations,” the angel murmured quietly, and Sasuke winced at the tone.  
  
“I didn’t realize I would remember time spent here as well,” he sighed and Naruto glanced up briefly.  
  
“I am conscious; if our souls are bound together, so will you have to be.”  
  
“I didn’t know,” Sasuke murmured and Naruto shifted, wings rustling as the feathers fluffed up and then settled again.  
  
“I think you need to learn to trust me. I will not cause you harm, not intentionally,” Naruto replied and Sasuke reached out and grabbed his hand when he rose.  
  
“I am sorry,” he apologized sincerely, looking up at the blond’s startled expression, and Naruto gave him a warm, affectionate smile.  
  
“I know. And I forgive you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'VE FINALLY GOT A COMPLETE OUTLINE FOR THIS! IT MIGHT BE HECKING 52 CHAPTERS (o□o;;)


	6. Insecurities and Night-blossoms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto shows him the night-garden; Sasuke wonders why he never leaves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> University and disability has been kicking my ass lately, and here we go with NaNoWriMo (but that's fun at least). Enjoy a new chapter and sorry for the wait, more is coming soon(-ish)!

  
“Sasuke?” Naruto’s voice rang out over the garden like a bell and Sasuke dropped down from the birch branch he had been resting on, brushing leaves from his hair as he started walking towards the blond’s island.  
  
Naruto had showed him how to change his clothes into what he wished to wear, although they stayed firmly white. The angel had laughed as Sasuke tried everything he could think of, from a sharp suit to a full length A-line dress to a dhoti. He had settled on simple pair of loose pants and a tank top, comfortable and easy to move in.  
  
“What is it?” Sasuke asked as he approached the blond and Naruto turned around with a smile and said,  
  
“The sun will set soon, how about we walk to the night gardens? I promised to show you them after all.”  
  
“Sounds good,” Sasuke replied, stretching his arms out with a content smile as he fell into step with the blond. Naruto chuckled quietly to himself and Sasuke glanced at him, then looked back down. They walked in silence for a while, until Sasuke quietly wondered, “Don’t you spend time with your friends?”  
  
Naruto gave him a surprised look.  
  
“Of course I do,” he replied and Sasuke frowned as he shoved his hands into his pockets.  
  
“Is it because of me then?”  
  
“What?” Naruto asked, clearly confused, and Sasuke shrugged uncomfortably.  
  
“You’re always here. I’ve never not been able to find you somewhere in the garden,” he explained and Naruto rolled his eyes, surprising Sasuke who had not seen him do so previously.  
  
“Might that have anything to do with the fact that you have been here for just a little over two weeks? I do not want you to feel left out or abandoned or stressed because I am unable to answer your questions or simply be there. Besides-” he reasoned but Sasuke scowled and interrupted him.  
  
“I’m not a kid, you know. I won’t shatter because you aren’t home every now and then. I don’t want you to put your life on hold for me,” he muttered and Naruto sighed, sounding exasperated.  
  
“You idiot. Okay, stop here and let me show you something,” he ordered and Sasuke cast him a glare but did stop, turning to the blond. Naruto made sure he had his attention then said, “I am going to walk to Sakura’s place from here, you just wait there.”  
  
Sasuke did not have time to protest before Naruto took a big step forward, disappearing into the air. Sasuke shifted, uncomfortable, and jumped when Naruto reappeared next to him.  
  
“Want me to do it again?” the blond asked, sounding annoyed, and Sasuke shook his head.  
  
“I get it. You can’t leave me.”  
  
“Exactly,” Naruto nodded and started walking again. Sasuke caught up to him and asked in a rush,  
  
“Are you… do you regret agreeing to stay with me?”  
  
“No,” Naruto replied immediately and Sasuke startled when a large wing folded around him and pulled him closer. The blond wrapped an arm around his waist, wing still folded around him, and kept him there. Sasuke walked stiffly beside him for a long while then sighed deeply and relaxed all at once, leaning into the angel’s side.  
  
“Why not?” he asked softly, leaning his head against Naruto’s shoulder, but straightening again as he was jarred with every step the taller angel took.  
  
“Because I want to be by your side.”  
  
“But why?” Sasuke questioned and Naruto hummed quietly, an almost laugh that made Sasuke feel both annoyed and content at once.  
  
“I was your guardian angel once. The rest you will figure out within time.”  
  
Sasuke frowned and was about to ask him to clarify when Naruto unwrapped him and let him go, stepping away. Feeling bereft and missing the warmth of the angel’s wing, Sasuke shoved his hands in his pockets again and morphed his tank top into a turtleneck. He looked up when Naruto touched his arm and said,  
  
“You will want to watch this.”  
  
Looking at the garden spread out in front of them, Sasuke saw the setting sun color bare branches of tall, pale trees a lovely shade of copper. Climbing vines wound around the trees, their leaves tightly rolled together into points. The flowers Sasuke typically saw in the garden were spread sparsely over the ground, dark green leaves on thick stems sticking up between them, a greenish bulb at the top. Large bushes with what looked like clusters of pale purple grapes grew where the trees did not.  
  
The sun set behind them, casting the garden in darkness, and Sasuke was just about to turn to Naruto and ask what he expected him to see when the moon rose behind the trees they were looking at. As bright moonlight washed over the plants, the garden transformed.  
  
The vines unrolled their lace-like leaves to splay iridescent patterns against the tree trunks. The trees slowly blossomed, the branches gradually becoming covered in small blue-white flowers that glowed in the moonlight. The grape-like clusters on the bushes broke into fluffy balls of petals in lilacs, blues, and pinks, while the bulbs on the flowers on the ground opened to tulip like flowers. Below the surface of the water surrounding them, small dots of light started to glow in long ribbons of white. A sweet scent rose from the flowers below them and Sasuke walked down the small hill, entranced.  
  
When he passed through the first patch of thick stemmed flowers, he was engulfed in light as he disturbed the insects inhabiting them. Small blinking dots danced through the air around him as larger moths started fluttering through the night, going from flower to flower in the moonlight.  
  
He found a bench in a groove of trees a little bit further into the garden, beside a low stone wall covered in a woody plant that had large clusters of tiny flowers. It looked like snow had settled on the vine and Naruto sat down beside him and murmured softly,  
  
“ _Candidius lunare_.”  
  
“Aptly named,” Sasuke murmured back and Naruto smiled.  
  
He took a pan flute from somewhere inside his robes and started playing an airy, melancholy melody, graceful and ethereal. It fit perfectly with the feeling of the garden filled with bright moonlight, and Sasuke curled up on the bench, knees pulled to his chest as he watched the glowing lights of the flowers and listened to Naruto play.  
  
Naruto caught Sasuke when the young man started to sway, clearly asleep. Chuckling quietly, he put his flute away and took the weight off his wing, carrying Sasuke in his arms as he walked back home.


End file.
